THE WORD THAT IS LIFE


MONDAY, TWENTY SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119:97-102; Lk 4:16-30

Power of the Word of God

We take up again the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians as we continue our reflection on the word of God through the week. Reading through the first reading, we see that the word of God, when consumed by us, becomes the operative agent in our lives. It controls our thoughts, words, and behaviour. This position follows from what we have pointed out in our previous reflections, that the word of God assimilates us and not we, the word of God. When we listen to or read the word of God, meditate, and contemplate it, it takes over our consciousness or awareness; by so doing, it renews our spirit by regenerating our desire for God. By being aware of the word of God, we root our life in God, making us participate in the life of God, who is the Father of spirits. St. Paul’s words express this truth about the supervening control of the Spirit of God. “When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ.” When the word of God is within us, God becomes the life we live and the sun that shines in our understanding, guiding us in what we say and do.

The awareness of the presence of God within us and our knowledge of the immensity of God’s being is a process that grows as we go deeper into the mystery of Jesus Christ. The mystery of Christ is the only topic of Paul’s preaching because that is the Gospel. Within this mystery, we learn about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The crucified Christ is a typical representation of the mystery of Christ. The early Christians grasped the import of this mystery and how it forms the root and summit of the Church’s life and celebrations. That is what is summed and celebrated in the breaking of bread. It is the summary of the Law and the Prophets, for the crucified Christ is a lesson in the love of God with all our heart, mind, and strength. It is also about the love of our neighbours for whom Christ died on the cross. We remind ourselves of this mystery when we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross. We must often say with the Psalmist: “Lord, how I love your law! It is ever in my mind. Your command makes me wiser than my foes; for it mine for ever.” We recall this mystery as often as we make the sign of the cross and invoke the Holy Trinity. It reminds us of the Eternal Word of God coming into human nature for our salvation.

By constantly reminding ourselves of this great mystery of God’s love, sending us the author of our salvation, who is the crucified Jesus Christ, our thoughts, words, and actions are constantly imbued with the Spirit of God. This divine presence will prevent and protect us from falling into the error and sin of the people of Nazara, who lost sight of the divinity of Jesus Christ living among them. The word of God was being fulfilled before them and in their lives without their knowledge because they were not host to the word of God. They did not believe the words the prophets spoke and failed to understand how it was being fulfilled in their lives. By believing the word of God, and housing it in our minds and hearts, we cooperate with God for our salvation and the salvation of others. Thus, our Lord reminded them that God could not work with their forefathers during the time of Elijah because of their unbelief, but with the widow of Zarephath, a Sidonian town. The same happened in the time of Elisha the prophet, God could not heal any leper in Israel because of their unbelief. He healed only Naaman the Syrian army Commander. The advice is for us today, that we may learn to live and work with God, as St. Paul did by constantly meditating on the crucified Christ. Let our thoughts, words, and actions proclaim only Jesus Christ, and him crucified for us.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to receive your word constantly in our mind and heart, that through the guidance of your Holy Spirit, we may grow steadily in our understanding of the mystery of Jesus Christ, our crucified Lord, and come to the fulness of your love and heavenly blessings. 

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